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Boulder County wants help watching for springtime flood hazards

By Scott Rochat

Times-Call staff writer

Posted:
03/10/2014 04:00:00 PM MDT

Edge Contracting workers Gino Pacheco, left, and Ruben Aguirre look at blueprints while building a dam to re-rout the river to its original path for the Lefthand Water District on Monday, on Lefthand Canyon Drive in Boulder County. (Jeremy Papasso / Daily Camera)

Runoff meetings

Future runoff and preparedness meetings are scheduled on the dates below, from 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. at First United Methodist Church, 1421 Spruce St., Boulder

March 13: For residents of South Boulder Creek, Boulder Creek and Coal Creek areas

Boulder County has at least 94 flood-damaged sites that need to be fixed before spring runoff, and officials want help spotting more.

"By people being vigilant and watching their community, we can gain a lot of information," Mike Chard of the county's office of emergency management told about 300 people at LifeBridge Christian Church on Monday. "We want to take care of it while it's manageable."

County officials combed through more than 3,000 flood damage reports and walked more than 90 miles of creeks and drainages to identify about 200 hazardous spots, with 94 at the highest risk of causing problems.

A high risk area is any place where large amounts of wood or sediment could create an impromptu dam or part of the bank is in danger of washing away. Residents are asked to call 911 so a deputy can check out the situation, Chard said.

"We have to get debris out, we have to shore up the banks," Chard said. "If we can do all of that by May 1, we've got a good chance of coming through spring runoff with minor issues."

Runoff could be especially heavy this year, he said, since groundwater and reservoir levels are high and snow pack is between 169 percent and 248 percent of normal, depending on the location.

"Since they started recording (runoff) in 1937 ... we're on track to be in the top five," Chard said. "The good news is, this will not be a 1,000-year event. We are going to see localized issues throughout the drainages, and that will depend on how we anticipate the hazards."

Residents are urged to have a plan for getting out of their property if needed, to practice the plan and to get flood insurance.

Staff members also reviewed options for residents, such as the Hazard Mitigation Grant Program to buy and demolish properties, and the Flood Rebuilding and Information Center, meant to be a one-stop site for flood-related permits .

John Collins, of Lyons, listens carefully during the first of four spring runoff community preparedness meetings on Monday at LifeBridge Church in Longmont. (Jeremy Papasso / Daily Camera)

Money from the Federal Emergency Management Agency is starting to become available for private-property debris removal, Sanfacon said, something even FEMA didn't expect at the start.

"They said the bar was super high and we'd never get there," he said. "We got there."

"You just have to be persistent," agreed Jim Froning, a resident of Longmont Dam Road, "They really want to help you. They just have to follow the rules. ... You can't give up. you have to keep going for it."

Mike Chard, director of the Boulder Office of Emergency Management, discusses the risks of spring flooding during the first of four community preparedness meetings on Monday at LifeBridge Church in Longmont. (Jeremy Papasso / For the Times-Call)

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